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Reviews
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
A modern masterpiece
After going through a recent obsession of classic westerns, something odd nowadays for a teenager apparently, I bought The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford thinking it would be a nostalgic homage to western films of old like the brilliant Unforgiven. Instead, I was treated to a tense drama profiling the final days of America's famous train robber. I'm glad I made the mistake of picking up this film because it is one of the best films I have seen in a long time. Casey Affleck defies his brother's reputation for abysmal acting talent (sorry but it's true) by pulling off a stellar performance as the creepy but likable character Robert Ford and Brad Pitt has one of his best performances as the troubled Jesse James. Both actors manage to cloud the audience's opinion subtly and slowly almost without you noticing until the film's over. A solid supporting cast of Sam Rockwell and Jeremy Renner manage good performances in the background without taking the attention away from the two leads. The only flaw I can find is that Casey Affleck can at times be too slimy for my liking but that's me personally more than anything else. Anyone who enjoys films and wants to see some career best performances should definitely make the time to watch this brilliant movie.
Boca do Lixo (2010)
A lot of wasted potential
I started watching this film really hoping that it would be everything that it claims it is: a stylish revenge tale to rival The Godfather itself. In actual fact, this is not a revenge tale and gets no-where near to The Godfather. A film essentially based around the rise and fall of a Brazilian pimp, it seems to me like it's confused about it's own nature and motivations as well as those of the characters; I was never sure if it was intended as a glorification or a condemnation of the Brazilian sex industry lifestyle. Also, characters seem to disappear without explanation and core aspects of the plot seem to be forgotten within a matter of minutes. There is a lot of potential in the characters and plot of this film, but due to poor scripting and the short runtime (100 minutes is not enough time for a crime epic) and Boca is almost unfinished in this sense, the film is a mess and exploration into motivation, generally turning the pace down a notch and stretching the runtime could have made this a film worth watching. Unfortunately, there are too many basic flaws to make this a decent film in my opinion.